Brandon Jennings No-Shows the Draft (For A While)
Jennings skipped sitting in the green room, but made a surprise appearance
By JOSH ALPER
Updated 9:07 PM EST, Thu, Jun 25, 2009
During Wednesday's predraft media session, point guard Brandon Jennings expressed some fear about being the last player left in the green room. On Thursday he didn't show up at Madison Square Garden for the draft itself, which makes it seem like that fear would have been realized.
His agent, Bill Duffy, released the following statement shortly before the draft began.
"Because we do not have a strong grasp of Brandon's draft position, I've advised that he and his family enjoy this day in a more private setting with the people he loves the most. Brandon Jennings will have a very illustrious career in the NBA, and at the end of the day, that is all that is important."
On Wednesday, Jennings said he was scared of being the last of the invited players sitting in the green room. His decision not to show up for the start of the draft seemed to confirm that those fears would be realized. But things have a funny way of working out.
Jennings was the 10th overall pick, going to the Milwaukee Bucks, which meant he went before several of the other invited guests. Whatever private setting Jennings chose to watch those first 10 picks must not have been too far away, however. Shortly after David Stern announced that the Suns selected Earl Clark of Louisville with the 14th pick, a player in a suit appeared on the stage that wasn't Clark.
It was Jennings, obviously chagrined by his decision to avoid the possibility of being left in the cold longer than he might have liked. Better late than never, especially since his lottery selection did a lot to justify his decision to forego college for Europe, but Jennings shouldn't make a habit of showing up late to other big events in his life.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
Copyright NBC Local Media
First Published: Jun 25, 2009 6:13 PM EST
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